Light Thickens by Ngaio Marsh Page A

gave it no more consideration than that.
    The rest of the cast were equally vague.
    So when the business of appointing a representative came up and Barrabell said he’d done it before and if they liked he’d do it again they were glad to let him be their Equity rep. Equity is an apolitical body and takes in all shades of opinion.
    But if they were indifferent to him, he was far from being indifferent to them. He had a cast list with little signs against quite a number of names. As rehearsals went on he hoped to add to it. Dougal Macdougal’s name was boxed in. Barrabell looked at it for some time with his head on one side. He then put a question mark beside it.
    The rest of the cast for the morning’s rehearsal arrived. Peregrine and Nina returned with a fresh-faced child in tow.
    “Quickest piece of casting in our records,” said Peregrine. “This is William Smith, everybody. Young Macduff to you.”
    The little boy’s face broke into a delightful smile. Delighted and delightful. It was transformed.
    “Hul-lo, William,” said Sir Dougal.
    “Hullo, sir,” said William. Not a vowel wrong and nothing forced.
    “His mama is coming back for him in an hour,” said Peregrine. “Sit over there, William, and watch rehearsal.”
    He sat by Nina.
    “This morning we’re breaking new ground,” said Peregrine. “Banquet scene with ghost of Banquo. I’ll explain the business with the ghost. You, Banquo, will wear a mask. A ghastly mask. Open mouth with blood running. You’ll have time to change your clothes. You will have a double, also masked, of course. The table will have a completely convincing false side with heavily carved legs and the black space painted between them. You and your double will be hidden behind this side. Your stool is at the head of the table.
    “Now. The Macbeths’ costumes. The Lady has voluminous sleeves, attached all the way down to her costume. When she says
Meeting were bare without it
, she holds out her hands. She is standing in front of the stool and masks it. Macbeth goes up to her and on his own
Sweet remembrancer
takes and kisses her hands. They form, momentarily, a complete mask to the stool. Banquo, from under the table, slides up onto the stool. The speed with which you do this is all-important. Banquo, you sit on the stool with your back to Macbeth and your head bent down. The Macbeths move off to his right.
    “On Macbeth’s
Where
? Banquo turns. Recognition. Climax. He’s a proper job. Bloody hair, throat cut, chest stabbed, blood all over it.
On feed and regard him not
the thanes obey her but rather self-consciously. They eat and mumble. Keep it quiet. Macbeth shrinks back and to the right. She follows. On Macbeth’s
What care I
, Banquo lets his head go back and then fall forward. He rises and exits left. This is going to take a lot of work. You thanes, all of you, cannot see him. Repeat: you can
not
see him. He almost touches you but for you he is
not there
. You all watch Macbeth. Have you all got that? Stop me if I’m going too fast.”
    “Just a moment,” said Banquo.
    Here we go, thought Peregrine. “Yes, Bruce?” he asked.
    “How much room will there be under this trick-table affair?”
    “Plenty. I hope.”
    “And how do I see?”
    Peregrine stopped himself saying: With your eyes. “The mask,” he explained, “is being very carefully designed. It is actually an entire head. The eyeholes are big. Your own eyes will be painted out. Gaston has done an excellent drawing for us. He will take a mold of your face and make the masks.”
    “Oh, my God.”
    “A bloodied cloak will be firmly fixed to the neck and ripped up in several places.”
    “I’ll want to see all these things, Perry. I’ll want to rehearse in them.”
    “So you shall. Till the cows come home.”
    “Thank you very much,” said the beautiful voice silkily.
    “Any more questions? No? Well, let’s try it.” They tried it slowly and then faster. Many times.
    “I think it’ll work,”